You mean, you can exercise without running? Who knew?

Running, running, running.  I have running on the brain.  It's been two and a half weeks since my last run, and - while I have gotten past the I-am-going-to-go-crazy-if-I-don't-run phase - I am feeling antsy to start up again.  (Okay, so maybe I haven't completely gotten past that going-crazy phase.)

The truth is, though, that NOT running hasn't been all that bad.  It's like I have opened my eyes, looked around, and realized that there are actually other things out there that a person can do for exercise.  Who knew?  Of course, after my faithful devotion to the elliptical the past couple of weeks, I am back in love with it.  It's not so bad.  So, you can't ellipticize outside. And, yes, there is the matter of having to rub shoulders with complete strangers at the gym.  And, no, I haven't forgotten that it really isn't the same as running.  But, ... you CAN go backwards.  Ooooo.  While I suppose I could try that with running, I think people would look at me funny, and there is that matter of tripping and falling.  So, score one for the elliptical.

Also the past couple of weeks I seem to have rediscovered my appreciation for strength training.  There is nothing like laying off of the strength for a couple of months to remind you that, yes, it really does make you a stronger person.  That first day back - when you realize that you can't do half of what you remember being able to do before - that's an eye-opener.

Yoga has also been on the agenda.  While I have never really given yoga up, I seem to have developed even more of a fondness for it than previously.  In my off weeks, I scoped out and bought two Groupons/Deal Chickens to two other yoga studios.  I'm branching out!  I want to see what other styles and places have to offer.


I have walked the dog.

I have hula hooped.







Finally, I have decided I am going to LOVE the rowing machine if it kills me.  I keep reading how rowing is an almost ideal cross-training to running, but I have never been able to get into it.  The shame in that is that we have a rowing machine in our basement.  It seems dumb not to utilize it.  Now, with not being able to run the past few weeks, I have redetermined that I am going to figure out how I can love this machine.

Even the Little Guy likes rowing.

I got off to a good start in that regard a couple of days ago when a friend of mine, who actually rows on a team, was kind enough to show me the ropes at the local Y.  Being able to row side by side with someone who knew what she was doing was helpful, and I didn't do too badly.  I managed 6,000 meters and was sore and sweating buckets afterward.  I'll be curious to see tomorrow how I do when I have to try to do it again on my own.

So, while I have been filling my time nicely with other activities, running has never been too far from my thoughts.  In these couple of weeks off, I have read a book on running, ordered another book online, found two pairs of shoes I plan on buying, started a training journal, and just plain spent a lot of time daydreaming about where I would run when the time came.

So, when is that time?  Hopefully near.  My shin is feeling a lot better.  It has been consistently good for the past five days or so.  Nary a peep out of it, even after exercise.  I have discontinued the cross-friction massage and heat and will only pick those up again as needed.  Now, the only issue I still seem to have standing in my way is my right foot.  Huh, foot?

Yeah, so the foot is something that started bothering me about the same time as the shin, but I haven't really wanted to give it a lot of thought.  It just didn't seem as important as the shin, but it seems to be the most persistent at this point.  Like a lot of my injuries, it doesn't bother me while running, but it does after getting up and after sitting for a while.  The whole foot and ankle area feels tight.  With this time off it has gotten a bit better, but it is still not 100 percent.  Of course, I haven't really thought to nurse it along either.  So, I think I'll start a regimen of icing and massage and see where that leads me.

In any case, I am hoping to start getting back into running this weekend at the latest.  I don't think I can hold off any longer.  I figured when I felt like going for a run on Sunday AFTER finishing an hour workout on the elliptical that it has got to be close to time for me to give it a whirl.

So, all in all, the break from running has been kind of nice.  I wish I'd done it a little sooner and not backed it up as I have into my marathon training period.  But, what are you going to do?  Sometimes mistakes are made.  Now, it's time to ease my way back into it and hope for the best.  I do have a marathon in four months after all.  One way or another, I have to start preparing for it.